broke the veggie news to my doc this am

So it has been 6 months that I haven't ate meat and have seriously cut back in the dairy department. I feel great! I went for my yearly check-up this morning couldn't wait to tell my doctor my exciting news - "I stopped eating meat!"

I thought he was going to judge me with the look, you know the look you get from meat eaters when you tell them that you only eat veggies, grains, and beans. That "are you serious" look with a raise of an eyebrow and a squint of an eye. But he didn't! He just asked me why and suggested that I go to the library this week and find a 1985 vegitarian book called: Diet for a Small Planet

I will let you know how that turns out. But I am also curious as being new at this vegitarian way of living, how will my results from my blood test differ from last year. All I know is that I ate a whole lot more and feel great. I will keep you posted...

a weekend of U2 in Montreal

Last weekend was so quiet and peaceful. The streets were mellow and empty. Weird, I thought, for a beautiful warm weekend in the Plateau of Montreal. Then I read the headlines - U2 played TWO sold out shows with 80,000 people at each show last Friday and Saturday. Wow, that is A LOT of people! So I chillaxed on my balcony enjoying a Mojito (thatmy hubby made me from scratch) and we listened to the bird's chirp and the sound of.... nothing. It's funny how the little things in life are what matter most.

By the way, if you live on a busy road, you NEVER get peace and quiet!

Check out U2 360 Montreal in a 3 minute wrap up - Awesome!

 

one fantabulous black keys concert!

Last night, my hubby and I headed over to the Bell Center to see The Black Keys perform. My hubby turned 29 back in February and he finally got his bday present last night! BOTH our ears are still ringing!!


Of course, I had to get us floor seats (the closer the better is my motto!) and we crawled our way to the front of the stage. (**Tip: wear ear plugs if you get this close! I am scared the ringing won't stop!!). The crowd was a mix of tweenie bops, hippies, and european fabios...a bit odd since we are use to going to concerts in Detroit (way back in the day! And much better by the way). But with just two dudes on stage, one on the drums banging his heart out and the other singing while jammin on his electric guitar lit up a crowd of 8,300 people last night. They were real, soulful, and played their hearts out, and that is all the mattered last night. Though a bit short, and we had to wait (which seem like forever) after the opening band for The Black Keys to come on stage, it was worth it! And by the way, I got a 'best birthday present ever kiss' after the concert!


Check out some videos of the concert last night:

By the way, one of the highlights of the show was when they came back out for the encore in HABS (yes HABS!!!) jerseys! Not only was it disgustingly hot, but it must have been so hard to rock out at the end of the show in jerseys. I thought that was so respectful, not only to the team, but to Montreal. BUT... of course (in some french guy's opinion) they were quote, from montrealconcerts.com: 

"What band still puts on a sweater of the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre to ignite the crowd during the recall? The Black Keys did last night in front of almost 8,300 fans, and this lack of taste came close to spoiling the cool factor of the show. Moreover, since a couple of his songs was used for a beer ad, it was found that the jocks have taken the duo of Akron in Ohio, which does nothing to enhance the reputation of the group. Anyway, enough of snobbery, the Keys gave a great concertlast night, though short (only 75 minutes, recall included)."

I just can't believe it! How wrong and selfish can one be!?? 

The Black Keys rocked my night!! 

market street san francisco 1906 - amazing!

This is real footage of Market Street in San Francisco just days before the quake. Notice that every man, woman, and child is wearing a hat. Feels like I'm watching a movie!

Talk about the Google Street Car of the 19th Century.

the merger of science and self-help

Self-help books are filling the shelfs of bookstores and can be found all over the media these days. I remember when I was younger, I never really understood self-help books and grew up thinking it was a sign of weakness. Man, was I wrong!

"Books need to explain the connection between quickly evolving research and the effect on everyday lives"

These days, self-help books are becoming the new ‘Facebook’ of science. It is so interesting to read about personality traits, or why some people are leaders and some are followers, and even the power of ‘The Secret’ and how thinking positively can lead you down the yellow brick road in life. I can’t seem to put these books down, they are so interesting and have been answering so many questions I have been having for years. But, you must have an open mind!

Are self-help books the new science for the social media era that has to go deeper to know why social awkwardness now exists? Hmmm.

The current book on my nightstand is called The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin. I find her so fasicnation because she is real and I can relate to her. Even though I haven’t began my own ‘happiness project’, reading about Gretchen's findings and studies has helped me get through many situations of my own recently and know that it is okay to just ‘Be Sara’. I love it! Just be yourself, so simple! I love her 12 personal commandments in life and my favourite, “Do it Now.” Why wait?

meet charlie - the coolest dog ever!

the Chelsea Market is a MUST see in NYC

The Chelsea Market was a first for me when I went to NYC last weekend. I can't believe I waited this long to visit the market. IT IS AWESOME! There was so much fresh gormet food, and of course, one of my fav hotspots, Anthropologie! I always have to get something cute for my loft when I find one of these stores in my travels since we don't have it yet in Canada (hint hint).

The building has so much history and when you get to the middle of the market, stop and relax with a coffee from their gormet coffee kiask. They have excellent sushi, roasted brussel sprouts, and lots of fresh soup and sandwiches.

Almost bought this at Anthropoligie but couldn't think of where to put it :)

I am a big fan of Giada and Bobby! I also love them on the NFS - this show is addicting!!

The best part (for me!) was the fresh homemade bread and cupcakes. If you stop by, you MUST try a brownie or a lemon square (or two!) at Fat Witch. 

I love you New York!

the new york sky

This is so weirdly fascinating - coming from a New York Daydreamer...

healthy granola with pineapple, papaya, sunflower & pumpkin seeds

Sunday's are always my baking day of the week. It's so fun to bake and I love knowing it will last all week for breakfast, lunch or snacks while I'm at the office. I went nuts at the Bulk Barn yesterday to make sure I had ample ingredients to make my first batch of granola. Granola is so rich in fiber and not to mention heart-healthy omega-3s, I wanted to make the homemade stuff because I find the store bought version way to sweet and who knows what the actual ingredients are. 

Here is my recipe I used below:

Ingredients:

Dry-

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup steel cut oats
• 1/2 cup flax seeds
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/2  cup unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1 tbsp cinnamon (note: I always put a bit more because I just LOVE this stuff!)
• 1/2 cup dried pineapple
• 1/2 cup dried papaya
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Wet-

• 1/4 cup OJ
• 3 tbsp au natural honey
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp brown sugar (optional - note that there is already tons of sugar in the dried fruit)
• OR... scrap the sugar/maple syrup/honey mixture and add 1/2 cup Brown Rice Syrup which is a much healthier substitute to sugar! 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheet with canola oil (you may also use cooking-oil spray or line baking sheet with nonstick foil). In a medium bowl, combine the oats, flax seeds, cinnamon, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Mix well. In a small bowl combine the orange juice, maple syrup, honey, and optional brown sugar. Mix well.
2. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until the mixture is fully combined and moist. Spread the mixture on the greased baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven and stir, breaking the large chunks into smaller pieces. Add in all the dried fruit and bake for an additional 8 minutes or until crisp. Remove from oven and allow to cool. While still warm, stir to break up any remaining chunks. When completely cool, store the granola in an airtight container.

Bon Appetit!

why not start a blog?

Hello world, this is my very first post. I am so new at this and have no idea what I am doing - so exciting! But that’s okay, I'm sure I'll figure it out, right?

I think this blog will help me get all the random thoughts out of my head. Maybe someone else will have the same interests as me? I dunno. I have high hopes! Plus, I am a serious health nut, who just recently became a vegetarian (new years resolution!) and ‘trying’ to become vegan. It’s not as easy as it sounds. So hopefully my insight, opinions, and aha moments in life (that is when I wake up and think 'why didn't I think of this earlier!') will be helpful to someone out there in this crazy world.  So far, this blog is so random and I haven’t really decided what to dedicate it to yet. Only time will tell...

<3 S.